IP Library Granted Patent US 7,736,245
Granted Patent B2
US 7,736,245 · App. 11/797,855 · Granted Jun 15, 2010

Golf club shaft and golf club

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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 7,736,245
App. No.
11/797,855
Granted
Jun 15, 2010
Kind
B2
Abstract

A golf club shaft 2 made of a fiber-reinforced resin having a weight W of 30 to 55 g calculated as a shaft having a length of 46 inches and an average flexural rigidity EIa of 1.5 to 4.0 kgf·m 2 and satisfying the equation: EIa≧0.1W−1.5. Since it is light weight but has a relatively high flexural rigidity, a golf club can be swung at high speed without deteriorating the flight direction performance.

Claims (13)

1. A golf club shaft comprising a fiber-reinforced resin, the shaft having an actual length SL falling within the range of 800 to 1,200 mm and an actual weight Wr according to the equation W=Wr×46×25.4/SL, wherein W is at least 30 g and said shaft has an average flexural rigidity EIa of at most 4.0 kgf·m 2 , said shaft satisfies the following equation:

EIa≧ 0.1 W− 0.5

and said shaft has a flexural rigidity EI(330) of 0.3 to 1.8 kgf·m 2 in which EI(330) denotes a flexural rigidity measured at a distance of 330 mm from the head side tip of the shaft.

2. The golf club comprising the golf club shaft of claim 1 , and a golf club head attached to said shaft.

3. The shaft of claim 1 , wherein said shaft has a length of 800 to 1,150 mm.

4. The shaft of claim 1 , wherein said shaft has a weight W of 30 to 40 g calculated as a shaft having a length of 46 inches, and satisfies the equation:

EIa≦0.1W.

5. The shaft of claim 1 , wherein said shaft is made of only a fiber-reinforced resin consisting essentially of a reinforcing fiber and a resin consisting of a thermosetting resin.

6. The shaft of claim 5 , wherein said thermo setting resin is a member selected from the group consisting of an epoxy resin, an unsaturated polyester resin, a phenol resin, a melamine resin, a urea resin, a diallyl phthalate resin, a polyurethane resin, a polyimide resin, and a silicone resin.

7. The shaft of claim 5 , wherein said thermosetting resin is an epoxy resin.

8. The shaft of claim 1 , wherein said shaft is made of only a fiber-reinforced resin consisting essentially of a reinforcing fiber and a resin selected from a thermosetting resin and a thermoplastic resin.

9. The shaft of claim 8 , wherein said thermosetting resin is a member selected from the group consisting of an epoxy resin, an unsaturated polyester resin, a phenol resin, a melamine resin, a urea resin, a diallyl phthalate resin, a polyurethane resin, a polyimide resin, and a silicone resin, and said thermoplastic resin is a member selected from the group consisting of a polyamide resin, a saturated polyester resin, a polycarbonate resin, a polystyrene resin, a polyethylene resin, a polyvinyl acetate resin, an AS resin, a methacrylic resin, a polypropylene resin, and a fluorine-containing resin.

10. The shaft of claim 1 , wherein said shaft is prepared by forming plural kinds of prepregs into a cylindrical laminate and curing it, in which said prepregs consists of full length prepregs constituting the full length of said shaft and at least one small sheet-like tip side prepreg laminated on a tip side portion of said shaft.

Assignments (3)
MERGER Recorded Apr 17, 2018
From: DUNLOP SPORTS CO. LTD.
To: SUMITOMO RUBBER INDUSTRIES, LTD.
Reel/Frame 045959/0204 →
CHANGE OF NAME Recorded Apr 12, 2018
From: SRI SPORTS LIMITED
To: DUNLOP SPORTS CO. LTD.
Reel/Frame 045932/0024 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded May 8, 2007
From: HASEGAWA, HIROSHI
To: SRI SPORTS LIMITED
Reel/Frame 019342/0210 →